About a dozen were affected while some artists backed strike by adding Palestine references to their work
A strike called in protest over the inclusion of Israel at the 2026 Venice Biennale meant several pavilions closed on the last day of the preview, some for a few hours while others – including the standout work from Austria – remained closed all day.
The strike was organised by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga), which at one point said that more than 20 pavilions would shutter in order to support their calls for Israel to be barred from the event because of its war in Gaza.
On Friday, about a dozen pavilions took part, with some partly closing, causing confusion at the event, which is 24 hours away from opening to the general public, after its traditional press preview.
The Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, Japanese, Macedonian and Korean pavilions were closed for the day. The British, Spanish, French, Egyptian, Finnish and Luxembourg entries were either closed and then reopened, or opened and expected to close early – many at about 4pm.
